Video

Making Faces

in ,

Video Installation (2024) 2min 19sec

Humans are inherently relational beings, not meant to exist in isolation. This piece features two faces: first shown individually in their natural resting state, then turned towards each other, revealing the impact of their mutual gaze. The great-grandfather and great-granddaughter interact non-verbally, their facial expressions conveying joy and connection. This interaction highlights the profound emotional exchange that can occur without words, underscoring the deep human need for connection and the simple, yet powerful, ways we bring joy to one another.

Part of The Last Nine Months - a collection that presents a reflective exploration of parenthood, technology, and the human body through a series of short films that blend intimate moments with broader social commentary. The collection captures the delicate intersection of everyday life with the profound complexities of life and the human condition, transforming ordinary moments into thought-provoking reflections.

PAST SHOWINGS

Medway Open Studios
Mess Room
July 2024

Nocturnal Trail
Electric Medway Festival
Oct 2024

Body as Landscape

in

Video, 2024 (6min 54sec)

The female body is a captivating phenomenon, constantly shifting, expanding, and contracting. It creates life and transforms the world around it. In this piece, a tiny train embarks on a tour of the body, offering a unique perspective on the landscape of womanhood through its scale and proximity. This work continues my exploration of our relationship with our own bodies, inviting viewers to appreciate the intricate beauty and profound power of the female form. Special thanks to Ally Sinyard for the use of her beautiful garden for filming.

Part of The Last Nine Months - a collection that presents a reflective exploration of parenthood, technology, and the human body through a series of short films that blend intimate moments with broader social commentary. The collection captures the delicate intersection of everyday life with the profound complexities of life and the human condition, transforming ordinary moments into thought-provoking reflections.

PAST SHOWINGS

Medway Open Studios
Mess Room
July 2024

Nocturnal Trail
Electric Medway Festival
Oct 2024

Supply and Demand

in

Video (2024) 2 min 30 sec

This doctored video features a breast milk pump in perpetual motion, yet never filling up. It symbolises the perfect balance of supply and demand—the body's genius in providing enough—while also highlighting the monotonous and exhausting nature of the never-ending task of feeding. It serves as a reminder of the remarkable resilience of the human body and the profound, yet demanding, role of caregiving.

Part of The Last Nine Months - a collection that presents a reflective exploration of parenthood, technology, and the human body through a series of short films that blend intimate moments with broader social commentary. The collection captures the delicate intersection of everyday life with the profound complexities of life and the human condition, transforming ordinary moments into thought-provoking reflections.

PAST SHOWINGS

Medway Open Studios
Mess Room
July 2024

Nocturnal Trail
Electric Medway Festival
Oct 2024

Mobile Surveillance

in ,

Video (2024) 2min 17sec


As technology becomes an ever-present force in our lives, I find myself contemplating the impact of constant surveillance on the next generation. This piece explores those concerns by replacing the birds on a traditional baby mobile with GoPro cameras, transforming it into a kaleidoscopic camera rig. The result is a visual metaphor for the omnipresent gaze of technology, capturing every moment from multiple angles. By juxtaposing the innocence of a baby's cot with the intrusive nature of surveillance devices, I invite an examination of the balance between technological advancement and the preservation of personal space and autonomy.

Part of The Last Nine Months - a collection that presents a reflective exploration of parenthood, technology, and the human body through a series of short films that blend intimate moments with broader social commentary. The collection captures the delicate intersection of everyday life with the profound complexities of life and the human condition, transforming ordinary moments into thought-provoking reflections.

PAST SHOWINGS

Medway Open Studios
Mess Room
July 2024

Nocturnal Trail
Electric Medway Festival
Oct 2024

Colour Injection

in

Video (2024) 36 sec

Babies possess incredibly expressive faces, rapidly displaying a wide range of emotions. Captivated by the diverse colours and shades of my daughter's expressions, I decided to capture a particularly emotional moment: her 12-week vaccinations. Each frame of this moment was colour analysed and then matched to a corresponding Pantone colour, highlighting the vivid spectrum of human emotion.

Part of The Last Nine Months - a collection that presents a reflective exploration of parenthood, technology, and the human body through a series of short films that blend intimate moments with broader social commentary. The collection captures the delicate intersection of everyday life with the profound complexities of life and the human condition, transforming ordinary moments into thought-provoking reflections.

PAST SHOWINGS

Medway Open Studios
Mess Room
July 2024

Nocturnal Trail
Electric Medway Festival
Oct 2024

Golden Hour

in

Video (2024) 1 min

Filmed during a long drive to the airport in America, this video captures a precious, quiet moment after a hectic day. As your child rests, you find yourself entranced by their serene, almost angelic presence, a stark contrast to their active waking hours. In this strange, tender moment, you begin to miss their lively energy, longing to coo over them and embrace them. Yet, you resist, knowing you must not risk waking this beast from its slumber.

Part of The Last Nine Months - a collection that presents a reflective exploration of parenthood, technology, and the human body through a series of short films that blend intimate moments with broader social commentary. The collection captures the delicate intersection of everyday life with the profound complexities of life and the human condition, transforming ordinary moments into thought-provoking reflections.

PAST SHOWINGS

Medway Open Studios
Mess Room
July 2024

Nocturnal Trail
Electric Medway Festival
Oct 2024

Feeling Animated

in ,

Stop Motion Animations (2022)

Animation project for primary school children looking at our emotions and how we can deal with them. These videos were used as the basis for discussions as well as examples of stop motion animation to accompany practical workshops.

Story and voiceover by Ian Nicholson
Animation by Hannah Whittaker
Funded by Portsmouth City Council, Artswork, Portsmouth Cultural Education Partners and Arts Council England

This Performance Is Unstable

in , ,

Experimental Online Performance (2021)

Online meetings bring a new digital chaos to our lives – bad connections, delayed audio, feedback loops and jittery conversations.

This Performance Is Unstable is a work for nine remote singers that both avoids and embraces these glitches, exploiting them to create a new way of collaborating musically over the internet. The experimental score uses technical problems as its chance element and tests the musical possibilities where precise timing is either less important or overcome altogether.

Watch and listen as a changing kaleidoscope of sound is produced, with features of excitement, suspense, resolution and surprise…

This was work was developed in partnership with Andy Millest, who is a music practitioner, musician and composer with over four decades of experience - he’s also my dad. This is our first official collaboration.

This piece was commissioned by Sparked Echo for the Electric Medway festival 2021.

PAST SHOWINGS

Electric Medway Festival
Aug 2021
Online

I'm Cutting You Off

in ,

Video Installation (2013)

From a distance, without the sound, the screen seems to display a commonplace occurrence of brushing, tying and cutting hair. However, upon closer inspection discovering the the other side, by putting on the headphones, with the audio revealing the pain and suffering endured by the hair itself during these tasks.

Hair provided by Hannah Whittaker
Cutting and Voice by Yoko Ishiguro
Afterwards trimming by Siobhan Halpin
Editing by Hannah Whittaker

PAST SHOWINGS

POP exhibition
5th April 2014
POP Gallery, Chatham

Missing Element Exhibition
Agora Arts,
Wandsworth Fringe Festival
18th - 19th May 2018
ArtLacuna

Layers

in , ,

Digital Performance (2012)

This digital performance is concerned with the idea of layering, not only of multimedia with sound and video looping but also the layers applied daily to my face. Examining the metamorphosis that the face undergoes, the rigorous procedures performed to prepare the visage for the outside world, creating a state of flux and suggesting a fluidity of persona.

The video initially displays a video loop of the performers ‘naked face’. The performer goes through the routine of putting on a full face of makeup, with each layer of makeup applied live frames of that application are mixed into the video projection loop. Slowly the video loop becomes littered with flashes of these applications and eventually displays the finished ‘product’ - the socially projected image of the performer. 

In a similar way to the video mixing, a musician provides a sound scape created from the use of looping and pedals. Each layer of makeup is accompanied by another layer of sound added to the audio loop, so that by the end the  ‘busyness’ of the face is paralleled by the cacophony of the soundscape.

Trace video of the projected video output:

PAST SHOWINGS

51zero Festival
Oct 2012
Rochester Visitor Centre

51zero Voyager - Whitstable Biennale 
Sat 2nd June 2018 
Film Screening on the beach